News

The American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) has released its annual report, and Southwestern College is among the 165 colleges listed that have financially supported the Commitment through each of its years and is now the only Kansas institution listed as an active member in good standing.

“The commitment to achieving carbon neutrality and teaching sustainability at Southwestern College is very real,” says Jason Speegle, director of Green Team Southwestern. “We are proud to be in good standing with the ACUPCC, knowing that we have lived up to our commitment. From an environmental standpoint, I wish every college and university in Kansas supported the ACUPCC. Our students, faculty, staff, and administration are dedicated to helping SC become a model of sustainability.”

Southwestern College is a charter signatory member of the ACUPCC and is the only Kansas institution that has been in good standing since the inception of the ACUPCC.

Speegle notes that Southwestern:

• conducts a greenhouse gas inventory each year;

• updates its climate action plan to achieve carbon neutrality;

• implemented a sustainability and environmental studies minor last school year;

• keeps track of electricity usage at the college through smart metering technology;

• participates in the annual Recylemania contest involving colleges and universities from across the country.

ACUPCC is an effort to address global climate disruption undertaken by a network of colleges and universities that have made institutional commitments to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions from specified campus operations, and to promote the research and educational efforts of higher education to equip society to re-stabilize the earth’s climate. Its mission is to accelerate progress towards climate neutrality and sustainability by empowering the higher education sector to educate students, create solutions, and provide leadership-by-example for the rest of society.